Faculty research published, honored nationwide

By Janel Shoun-Smith on 7/23/2014

Lipscomb is a community of scholars.

Students enjoy learning from and with the highly qualified faculty members who are personally engaged in students' academic programs and who also continue to be learners themselves. The majority of our faculty have the highest degrees awarded in their fields of emphasis and have received those degrees from institutions around the world and the country.

Continue reading for a snapshot of the scholarly and community accomplishments of selected faculty and staff from the past few months.

FACULTY

College of Arts and Sciences

Art

Horton wins best in show at national conference

Rocky Horton, associate professor, won the Juror’s Award for best-in-show at the member exhibition of the 2013 Southeastern College Art Conference in Greensboro, N.C.

Horton submitted a video called “All the Songs God is Responsible for According to the Grammy Awards Acceptance Speeches 1971-2012.”

Horton, who has been a full-time faculty member at Lipscomb since 2004, has won Tennessee Arts Commission grants and several grants from Lipscomb. He has shown his work across the nation and at the Twist, Cheekwood, Zeigeist and Chromatics galleries in Nashville.

The Southeastern College Art Conference is a nonprofit organization that promotes the study and practice of the visual arts in higher education on a national basis. It facilitates cooperation and fosters dialog about pertinent creative, scholarly and educational issues among teachers and administrators in universities, colleges, community colleges, professional art schools and museums; and among independent artists and scholars.

Click here to see more of Horton's artwork, as featured in the Nashville Scene, including the award-winning video at the bottom of the article.

Chemistry

Clinger, students publish chapter in symposium series book

Professors and students in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have published a chapter in the American Chemical Society Symposium Series book “Teaching Bioanalytical Chemistry.” The chapter is titled “Bioanalytical Chemistry in Instrumental and Biochemistry Laboratories.” Authors of the chapter were department chair Kent Clinger and then-students Hannah Gilfilen King (’13), Kevin Lavender (’10) and Jonathan Clinger (’12).

“It is extraordinarily rare for undergraduate students to become published authors in the sciences, especially at predominantly undergraduate institutions,” said Clinger.

Phipps publishes article in chemical journal

Linda Phipps, professor of chemistry, published an article titled “Creating and Teaching a Web-Based, University-Level Introductory Chemistry Course that Incorporates Laboratory Exercises and Active Learning Pedagogies” in the Journal of Chemical Education in 2013.

Music

Wilson wins third Tennessee Arts Commission grant

Gary P. Wilson, professor of music and director of choruses, received his third consecutive grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission to fund the annual Men’s Choral Festival. The $2,300 grant helps defray costs for the festival, which draws high school men from schools throughout Middle Tennessee. This year the event will include the world premiere of a new piece by Tennessee composer Dan Gawthrop.

In January 2014, composer Tim Takach premiered a choral work he wrote specifically for the festival, called “Little Blades of Grass,” and in 2013, the members of the vocal group Cantus worked with the young singers.

Lipscomb’s male a cappella ensemble, The ChamberMen, also works with the high schoolers at the festival.

Communication

Griggs receives lifetime achievement award

Veteran journalist and communication Chair Alan Griggs recently received the John Holliman Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Read more…

History, Politics and Philosophy

Clanton wins Disciples History's Lester McAllister Prize

Caleb Clanton, associate professor of philosophy and university research professor, has been named the first recipient of the newly established Lester McAllister Prize for best published resource on Stone-Campbell history for 2013. Read more…

College of Bible

Hicks writes a new book

John Mark Hicks has published a new book, “Enter the Water, Come to the Table,” a rich resource for renewing the practice of the sacraments in a way that encourages faithful discipleship in a hostile cultural environment.

The new book explores the meaning and practice of baptism and the Lord's supper through the lens of the biblical story's movement from creation to new creation. It shows how Jesus inaugurates a new Exodus from old creation into new creation. And in light of Jesus' death and resurrection, baptism and the Lord's supper not only promise a future but they mediate a transforming experience of new life now.

Lavender presents at national association

Earl Lavender, professor of theology and ministry, led a session on “Helping Students Discover and Develop God's Gifts for His Creation” at the annual National Christian School Association conference. The National Christian School Association is an educational association of more than 120 secondary schools in 30 states serving more than 40,000 students.

Black, Joiner present at international conference

Mark Black, associate dean of the Hazelip School of Theology, and Steve Joiner, professor of ministry and conflict management, presented sessions at the Jesus Seminar in Zagreb, Croatia, in January. The event, organized by the Bible Institute in Zagreb, offers presentations of Jesus’ life and ministry from the perspectives of biblical writers and contemporaries. Speakers included Bible scholars, theologians and religious workers from Croatia, Israel, Romania and the U.S.

College of Education

Thornthwaite authors her first book

iPads are powerful tools for engaging students, encouraging creativity, stimulating critical thinking and making significant strides in learning. “Not a Toy, But a Tool” is part of a two-book set that will allow educators to realize the full potential of the iPad. More than 200 highly rated apps are reviewed along with specific ideas for classroom activities and teaching strategies. Descriptions include ideas for classrooms with just one or many iPads. App selection was based on research, personal experience and classroom observations at all levels of education.

Morel continues publications on coaching

Nina Morel's “Learning from Coaching”was recently released. The book discusses best practices between teachers and coaches and highlights how to make the most of the relationship to strengthen teaching. The book equips teachers with a variety of strategies, including: deciding what goals should be set for a coaching relationship, making time in the school day for coaching consultation and activities, troubleshooting potential pitfalls and documenting progress and ensuring success.

Morel’s previous book, “How to Build an Instructional Coaching Program for Maximum Capacity,” targeted principals and school district leaders.

College of Pharmacy

Daniels, biochemistry students and alumni publish article

Nate Daniels, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, published an article in the Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, along with Stephen Turner (’14) biochemistry major, and Brittany Duerk (’12), applied biochemistry graduate. The article is titled, “Novel GlyT1 inhibitor chemotypes by scaffold hopping. Part 2: Development of a [3.3.0]-based series and other piperidine bioisosteres.”

Mercer elected as AACPA research fellow

Susan Mercer has been selected into the 2014-2015 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Academic Research Fellows Program.

This program is designed to develop the nation's most promising pharmacy faculty research investigators as future leaders to build sustainable research teams and programs within and across institutions.

Specifically, participants will gain experience in research-focused leadership development, team building and the development of innovative research strategies to secure funding from federal and other public and private sources. Participants will also gain insight into the dynamics, management, institutional structures and policies that affect research teams and have the opportunity to network with successful research leaders and advocacy groups. Fellows will participate in team-based project development and sessions-in-residence from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015.